Chapter 116
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Eerily Quiet
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It was quiet.
Like the calm before a storm, perhaps?
Quite some time had passed since the group began ascending the mountain, yet the only sounds were the crunching of twigs and fallen leaves underfoot along the path.
[Hey, what's up with him?]
[I don't know. He went out yesterday and came back at dawn, and he's been like that ever since. Uncle's glare was so fierce I didn't even dare ask.]
Gae Du-sin and Nangong Seong exchanged tense glances and transmitted messages telepathically.
It was all because of Yu Hyun.
His face was deeply displeased, his eyes terrifying—as if he'd lash out with curses for no reason if spoken to.
After leaving the Justice Alliance branch, Yu Hyun hadn't said a word as he climbed Wudang Mountain, forcing the Three Young Dragons trailing behind him to muffle not just their footsteps, but even their breathing.
No, how could they match his mood or crack a joke without knowing the reason? The air was so tense it was scary just to climb.
Dang Sa-dog, who hadn't spent as much time around Yu Hyun yet, finally couldn't endure the silence and opened his mouth.
"Um......"
Thud!
At that instant, Nangong Seong's left hand and Gae Du-sin's right hand flew in simultaneously to cover his lips.
"Mmph, mmph!"
"......!"
They pinched his nose shut along with his mouth, making Dang Sa-dog's face turn red as he flailed his arms, but Gae Du-sin and Nangong Seong ignored him, too busy watching Yu Hyun's reaction.
"What are you doing?"
"Yes? Nothing......"
"That's right. It's nothing at all."
"......"
The two shoved Dang Sa-dog behind them and flashed the friendliest smiles they could muster. Yu Hyun furrowed his brow, then turned back and resumed climbing.
"Whew......"
Nangong Seong and Gae Du-sin let out sighs of relief, clutching their chests.
"Mmph, mmph!"
As Dang Sa-dog shot them an irritated glare and roughly shoved their hands off his face, the pair glared murderously back and pressed a single finger to their lips in unison.
Ignorance is bliss, and curiosity kills the cat.
Sometimes, you just have to accept not knowing and humbly keep your mouth shut.
[You punk. For god's sake, watch your mouth. Uncle in that state is not someone to poke......]
[Yeah. Do we have to spell out 'be extra careful'? Use some common sense. Don't get us in trouble too!]
[......]
Dang Sa-dog clamped his mouth shut and blinked at the simultaneous telepathic warnings from his two seniors—warnings delivered with brotherly(?) affection.
He didn't know the reason, but he got the message.
Shut up. Don't ask anything. Just...... no, even breathe carefully.
"Haa......"
They flinched at Yu Hyun's sigh, halting their steps, then cautiously followed when he started moving again, stealing glances all the while.
Whether they did or not, Yu Hyun walked ahead before suddenly pulling a talisman from his pocket and glancing at it.
Crumple.
Remembering yesterday's events, he crumpled the talisman irritably and slammed it to the ground—not content with that, he ground it underfoot. The Three Young Dragons retreated even further.
"That damn old geezer......"
When he'd subdued Mu Seong, who had treated him like one of their own and lunged at him, and questioned him, the man confessed he'd been swindled out of a full hundred taels by the old man just a few months ago.
Well, Mu Seong wasn't exactly a good guy either. Cockily, he was a loan shark in the back alleys of a village near Wudang, preying on merchants.
Anyway, for some reason that day, everyone paid him back in full—interest calculated precisely......
He'd been in such high spirits that he got thoroughly drunk on the way home and ran into the old man.
They exchanged a few casual words, and the old man went on about ancestral sins and how to avoid heavenly punishment with some ritual or another......
He spun such a tear-jerking tale that, for the first time in his life, Mu Seong felt regret.
In the end, not only did he hand over every coin in his possession, but the old man even burned the loan contracts. Only then did Mu Seong snap out of it, realizing he'd been hypnotized. Enraged, he went looking for the old man, but...
Of course, he was long gone.
In an instant, his capital and contracts were gone, and to top it off, he'd been reported to the authorities for some shady dealings, ending up with a good paddling......
His right buttock still ached, he wailed, clinging desperately as Yu Hyun tried to shake him off later.
"Well, a bad guy got scammed by an even worse one—call it divine justice or whatever, none of my business......"
The problem was himself.
More precisely, compared to the pittance he'd given for the talisman, his pride had been utterly crushed!
He, who must stand firm amid all sorts of conspiracies to save the martial world one day, had been duped by a mere back-alley con artist.
If that guy Mu Seong hadn't shown up then?
'I don't know your identity, but when the time comes......'
"......"
He hadn't heard the rest, but he'd surely have followed the old man somewhere to perform some idiotic ritual like a fool. Hell, he might've donated the entire Yu Clan Manor.
That's how he felt at the time.
With that transcendent gaze, babbling about mystic arts and light in the darkness—it was the epitome of an otherworldly eccentric.
Thinking back now, he was the real sucker......
Anyway, furious at being duped, he'd spent the night dashing madly through Gyeonhyeon County searching for traces of the old man.
Guest inns, taverns...... he'd combed every inch of Gyeonhyeon to no avail.
He needed to catch that con artist old geezer and beat him senseless to vent generations of rage. Damn it all.
"Um, Uncle?"
"What!?"
Yu Hyun, grinding his teeth, whipped his head around at Nangong Seong's call, irritation flaring.
"N-not that, but it's the Sword-Dissolving Pool?"
"......Huh?"
Nangong Seong, who had quickly backed away, stammered and pointed. Only then did Yu Hyun look up and survey the surroundings.
A massive pond midway up the mountain. A man-sized stele and a single tree that must have stood for centuries.
The pond was the Sword-Dissolving Pool, the stele the Dismount Stele, and the tree the Sword-Hanging Tree.
There's a saying in the martial world: "Dismount at the Sword-Dissolving Pool, hang your sword on the tree, and ascend."
But the mountain paths are too treacherous for riding, and no one actually hangs their sword on the tree.
It's merely a metaphorical expression of respect for Wudang's dignity.
"I'll go report it."
"Go ahead."
Nangong Seong dashed to Wudang's mountain gate, a short distance from the Sword-Dissolving Pool.
Of the two gates, one had a line of worshippers ascending, while the other stood quiet and empty.
Both were guarded by Taoists, but they led to paths for people of different statuses.
A true Taoist sect centers on those seeking the Way, not those training in martial arts.
Martial arts are merely a means to reach the Way. The Wudang of the martial world is but one facet of the Wudang School.
Thus, the gates and destinations differ.
The path for worshippers ends at the priests' temple for incense and offerings. The martial artists' path leads to the warriors' quarters, commonly called the Eight Trigrams or Second Hall.
"......There sure are a ton of them."
A procession of worshippers from all over stretched down to the mountain's base.
From those in opulent finery to the raggedly dressed, all ages, genders, and classes mingled in endless variety.
Those damn talisman peddlers. What a bonanza—they're raking it in.
Having been scammed by an old man in Taoist robes, even this crowd looked suspicious.
As Yu Hyun inwardly sneered at the long line and peered beyond the gate...
"......!"
His eyes widened in shock, then fury surged.
Crunch. Boom!
He stomped the ground, unleashing Flying Shadowless Step, his form shooting fiercely toward the gate.
"Huh? Wh-what?"
The guarding Taoists gaped in confusion at his sudden action.
"Grand......Master?"
Gae Du-sin and Dang Sa-dog's faces twisted as they stared blankly.
No, what the hell was that guy doing now?
What didn't he like this time that he was charging the Wudang gate—the one for worshippers, no less?
"Crazy! Can't catch a break with him!"
Gae Du-sin bellowed in frustration and leaped after Yu Hyun, but even using the same Flying Shadowless Step, he couldn't catch up.
"St-stop!"
The mountain gate disciples shouted urgently at Yu Hyun's rapid advance, then moved their hands when he didn't slow.
"We have no choice but to use force!"
Whoosh!
Their words were impeccably polite, but their hands were already reaching for him.
Their duty was to bar unauthorized entry to the gate.
But as Taoists, their priority was subduing, not destroying.
One disciple targeted his wrist with Golden Crow Hand, followed by another aiming at his abdomen with Whirlwind Palm.
Swish! Pow!
Facing the simultaneous strikes to block him, Yu Hyun doubled his speed, kicked off the ground, straightened, and twisted his body midair.
Whoosh! Boom!
Golden Crow Hand and Whirlwind Palm clutched and struck empty air.
By merely twisting in midair, Yu Hyun evaded and soared up the worshippers' path.
"Th-this way! Chase him!"
Dumbfounded by how easily he'd slipped away, all the gate disciples halted their duties and pursued.
"Damn it all! Does he have to cause a scene at every new sect he visits? Like his ass itches if he doesn't? Why's he doing that? Trying to fight Wudang like he did Haenam last time?"
"I don't know! Just run! Whatever Uncle's doing, we've gotta help, right?"
"Huh? Help? Is that okay?"
Amid Gae Du-sin's gruff irritation, Nangong Seong ran like a doting uncle, while Dang Sa-dog followed in bewilderment.
And Yu Hyun zeroed in on one person amid the crowd.
Whoosh!
"You con artist old geezer!"
Yu Hyun dropped from the air, startling the ascending worshippers into murmurs and halting, as nearby people scattered.
"......?"
The old man in worn Taoist robes stared at Yu Hyun, who had appeared before him, then tilted his head.
"Do I know you?"
"......"
His eyes said it was their first meeting. His face showed utter confusion.
Look at this old geezer.
Face blindness? Or too easy a mark not even worth remembering?
"You damn old geezer. Think I'll let it slide if you play dumb?"
"Hmm, well, I truly have no idea why a stranger like you is acting so aggressively......"
"Oh? Playing it like that, huh?"
"......?"
"Yu Hyun! Something about mystic arts, uh! Fire and darkness and stuff! Yeah!"
"......."
As Yu Hyun bellowed with bulging eyes, the old man pondered, then snapped his fingers.
"Ah! You from yesterday!"
"......"
"This, well, my age makes me forgetful. It was you, wasn't it?"
"......"
Wow, insane. What an actor—born for it.
No wonder I fell for it.
But not twice.
"You conning old bastard. Today I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget......"
As Yu Hyun rolled up his sleeves and advanced, the pursuing Wudang gate disciples arrived en masse, blocking his path.
"Halt! Such unruly behavior at Wudang!"
"Ah, that's...... a fake Taoist."
As Yu Hyun tried to explain quickly, one gate disciple politely cupped his fists toward the old man and bowed.
"Great Pavilion Master, are you alright? Any injuries?"
"......"
Yu Hyun froze, blinking.
Great Pavilion Master? Not Great Con Artist?
He didn't know what it meant, but the robed guys were encircling the old geezer protectively, swords aimed at him. Wudang as a whole couldn't be a scam ring...
Anyway, this made him the bad guy, right? Yeah?